Impressions
by HannahBerrie
Summary: Nick and Judy meeting, falling in love, and dating in a college setting. Slices of life, fluff, flirting, and more! Originally a part of my drabble series, Change Starts With Us. *cover art by sanjiseo @ tumblr *
1. Impressions

**[A/N] : The first two chapters are reposted from my original drabble series, Change Starts With Us. This is a bit of an untraditional fic in the sense that there's no overarching plot or conflict - each chapter can be almost treated as a separate one-shot, all in the same setting.**

* * *

Judy loved parties…usually. For her, there was nothing more fun than getting a group of friends together for a good 'ol fashioned game of charades, or maybe even poker, if things were getting a little bawdy. But parties like this, parties where more than half of the attendees were drunk off their rockers, parties where she'd seen a leopard swinging off the chandelier, as well as several spin the bottle games, not to mention countless campus violations, were completely outlandish to her. She had no idea what she'd been getting herself into when the burly hare had approached her in the library, buttering her up with compliments before inviting her to the party he'd be throwing at his fraternity's house tonight. She still hadn't seen him yet, though she had to admit she wasn't missing him too much - he'd had the air of the kinds of hares that only had mating on their minds.

Now, she was just trying to find a place to sit. Someone had handed her a drink, which had left her feeling a little fuzzy, not enough to be as wasted as most of the other guests, but enough to make her stumble right onto a lap.

A fox's lap, no less.

"Hey!" The fox exclaimed, looking startled. "Watch it!"

"I-I'm sorry!" Judy gasped, rolling off his lap and settling down on the couch beside him. "I slipped a little, that's all…"

The fox rolled his eyes. "Let me guess, it's your first time getting wasted."

She sat up straightener at that. As buzzed as she may have been, she was definitely not wasted, she still had _some_ of her morals in check. Besides, he was the one with a beer in his hand, she noted, he even took a sip from it as he eyed her. "I'm not wasted!" She insisted, cheeks hot. "Besides, I don't need to explain myself to you!"

He snorted. "Riiiiight. I too, tend to stumble on top of people and offer no explanation whatsoever. My apologies, Carrots."

She frowned. "You'll want to refrain from calling me 'Carrots'."

"Refrain?" He mused, smiling as he took another drink. "Maybe you're not wasted after all."

"I told you, I'm not-" She huffed and crossed her arms, deciding against arguing with him. "Whatever. What are you even doing here, anyway? Just sitting, doing nothing, waiting for people to trip over you?"

"Well, it wouldn't be the first time I'd have girls falling for me," he winked, causing her blush to deepen.

Her buzz made her feel more fluttery and fuzzy-minded than she usually did, that's why she wasn't completely ashamed when she couldn't think of a proper retort. "I'm sure," she said sarcastically, noting when he turned to face her a little more.

She felt his eyes scan her over, still feigning casualness but secretly scrutinizing. "Let me guess," he ventured. "This is your first frat party?"

Judy considered lying, but she could tell by the look in his eye that the fox wouldn't buy it. "Yes," she sighed, "Is it that obvious?"

"Yes," he answered bluntly. "For one, you've only had one drink, I assume, and it's already enough to mess you up. Secondly, you still have that bright-eyed, bushy-tailed look that just _screams_ freshman desperation."

"I'm not desperate!" Judy snapped. "I only came here because some hare invited me."

"Lucky guy," he said absentmindedly, and Judy couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or not. Either way, she dismissed it.

"Well, I can read you too," she said confidently, tilting her chin up to look him in the eye.

He smirked. "Oh really?"

"Yes! Let's see, you're probably some…Senior-"

"Junior"

" _Junior_ who thinks he's all that, just because he's older, and meaner and sarcastic-er! You're probably here to just slack off, and…and mess around! You probably have a tendency towards laziness as well, if the way you hardly bothered to adjust your tie means anything."

"Laziness, is that what you said?" He countered, stroking his chin in faux-thoughtfulness. "No, I see it more as…selective dedication. I can't argue with the other stuff though," he shrugged, and once again Judy found herself doubting his seriousness. "So, you must be what, a Psych major?"

"I…I'm majoring in Criminal Justice," Judy said hesitantly. Normally, she would state her major with far more confidence, after all, she was proud of her goal, not to mention the top of her class: her first semester had passed and she'd already made the Dean's List. But the night had been long, and after multiple rounds of chit-chat with other party go-ers, in which she was laughed at (loudly) each time, told that she was crazy, that there had never been a bunny cop, that there never _would_ be, her spirit couldn't help but feel a little wilted.

"Criminal Justice?" The fox eyed her. "What, you wanna be a lawyer or something?"

She braced herself. "No…I'm going to be a police officer."

She waited, wincing, waiting for a laugh…

…That never came.

"A cop, huh?" He said casually, as if it was no big deal at all. "That's…well…"

"I know there's never been a bunny cop before," Judy said quickly, words flowing out almost as fast as her foot began thumping. Maybe it was the alcohol, or the relief of being able to pour her heart out after musing over her thoughts all night long, but once her words started, they wouldn't stop. "But I know I can do it! I've been studying like crazy, and working hard ever since I was 9! And I got here on a scholarship since my family couldn't really afford - well, you know, college is a lot of money! Especially since this school is supposed to be the best in Zootopia, the whole country, even! And even if it doesn't seem like I can become a cop, I'm going to do it! I don't care who laughs at me! I wanna make a difference and help people! I know there's other bunnies and prey out there who wanna be cops, they just need someone to step up and be an example! And really, it's not that impossible, a bunny cop? Everyone always just brushes me off or thinks I'm crazy but it's not like being a bunny makes me any less - "

"Hey, hey, hey!" He insisted, holding up his paws. "I never said you couldn't do it, Fluff! Sure, it's a little crazy, insane even -"

Judy pouted, shoulders slumping as she turned away from him. "Thanks…"

"But it's not impossible," he finished, nudging her gently. He hesitated over his next words, choosing them carefully. "If anything…it's pretty cool. Most people don't care that much, about anything."

Judy's nose twitched, and she turned to him, violet eyes wide with relief. "Yes…yes! Thank you! That's what I've been trying to say all night! I'm not that crazy!"

He shook his head with a smile, and she laughed, even though she didn't really know why. Maybe it was just the relief of finding someone who finally understood where she was coming from. "So," she said, grabbing the beer from his paw and taking a swig. "What's your major?"

He blinked at her for a moment, looking surprised by her bold gesture. Then he relaxed again, slouching back against the wall, eyes half-lidded with indifference. "Business," he said.

"Impressive," Judy said, genuinely astonished. "I guess I was wrong about the whole slacking off thing, huh?"

"Well, you know what they say," he shrugged, taking the beer back from her and taking a drink. "Your first impressions are never really correct."

She smiled, leaning slightly closer to him. "Wise words for a sly fox. Maybe you're not completely wasted after all."

He laughed, turning to grin at her impishly. "Not yet bunny, not yet."

* * *

Frat parties were still completely outlandish to Judy. One minute, she'd been completely lost, then one slip and stumble later, she'd found herself laughing on a couch with a fox, feeling completely at ease. Then, several more drinks and a handful of flirtatious remarks later, she'd been straddling him on the same couch, completely engrossed in everything that his paws and mouth could do.

"I u-usually don't do this kind of thing," Judy had gasped, giggling uncontrollably, both due to his peppered kisses across her shoulders, as well as the drinks (especially the drinks).

"Me neither," he laughed, equally as buzzed.

All other words were lost then as they kissed eagerly, a mess of slurred gasps and giggles. The music was loud, pounding in her ears, fast and matching with the beat of her heart. She knew this was wrong, on so many levels - she barely knew him, let alone the whole different species thing, but, as much as it ashamed her to admit it, she was having _fun._ Kissing a complete stranger like this, in full view for anyone to see, it was daringly exhilarating.

"H-hey," she gasped as his paws roamed under her shirt. "What's y-your name?"

"Nick," he said huskily, and she worried for a moment that she might lose it right then and there. "Yours?"

"Judy," she breathed, face flushed and heart hammering loudly. She had no idea what she was getting herself into when she lost herself in him, no idea how dangerous a game she was playing, how much unlike her character this was. But she decided that for once, she was going to live a little. It was time for her to stop stressing about her future, her worries, her dream job. It was time to screw it all and for once, focus on the present, the passionate, very attractive present. She needed, for once, to stop caring.

So she did.


	2. Repercussions

When Judy had moved into her dorm that first day, everything had been perfect. Her new school? Perfect! Her small, 10 x 10 dorm room: also _perfect._ Her neighbors, who'd joked about how loud they were? Completely perfect! Her freshman year was going to be perfect!

But then her first semester had passed, and she'd survived, but only barely. And quickly, she realized everything wasn't so perfect. She was no longer the star student, and had to fight to get the perfect grades she wanted. Maintaining her perfect 4.0 average involved a lot more late nights, coffee, and every ounce of dedication she had in her. But it wasn't that bad, really. Everything came with a learning curve, and Judy was never one to back down from a challenge. It just took a lot of hard work, something she had never been lacking.

That's why she was still up at 11 o'clock, because she was determined to study for this test until she fell asleep over the page. Unfortunately, her neighbors had other ideas. Her neighbors, who'd joked about how loud they were? Not-so perfect, because apparently they'd been serious! They'd kept her up many nights with their loud arguing, parties, and other activities she wasn't sure if she wanted to know about, and tonight was no different. Tonight, they were playing loud rock music AND arguing, a combination that was making it impossible for her to focus on her notes.

"Can you guys keep it down?!" Judy yelled through the wall, pounding on the too-thin drywall that divided their dorms.

In response, the music turned up louder.

The bunny groaned, slamming her head against her desk. Great, just great. There was no way she was going to get any studying done here, which meant it was time for another late night trip to the library. It was the third one this week.

But it was all a part of the curve, the challenge, she could handle it. So, muttering under her breath the whole time, she packed up her things and made the 15-minute walk to the campus library.

It was a big, modern-looking building, and even at 11:15 pm, it was bustling with activity. Mammals hunched over their textbooks, surrounded by empty coffee cups. Predators and prey alike typing away furiously at computers, not looking up for even a moment.

She managed to find a small, circular table to sit at in a lounge area, and she quickly got to work, reviewing her flashcards, scanning over her notes, and testing herself with ease. A good half-hour passed before she finally looked up from her work, needing a brief mental break. The library was quickly becoming a second home to her, she realized as she scanned the area absentmindedly. Not that she exactly minded, it was a good place to just sit back, relax, and -

There was a flash of red fur, and her eyes stopped at him instantly. A fox entered the library, tail swishing behind him as he walked, shoving a small mp3 player into his pocket and holding a Stag-bucks cup in the other. Judy recognized him instantly, the nervous, exciting, sinking feeling that washed over her made sure of it.

 _Nick._

She watched as he tossed the cup into the trash and looked around for somewhere to sit, gaze flitting past her before he paused. Slowly, she saw his head start to turn back in her direction, but Judy didn't give herself enough time to see where his gaze landed.

With a small squeak, she ducked behind her book, cheeks burning red. After all, what was she supposed to do? She couldn't just go up and _talk_ to him! What would she say? 'Hey, sorry, it's me again! That bunny you drunkenly made out with 2 weeks ago at some party you may not even remember!'

It wasn't happening. She had to study, stay focused. She didn't have time to worry about nice, attractive foxes that just so happened to be incredibly good kissers.

But as hard as she tried, the words she stared at on the page weren't registering in her brain. The more she attempted to force herself to read, the more her mind found it an appropriate time to entertain fantasies of Nick dragging her behind a row of bookshelves and kissing her senseless.

Frustrated, Judy peeked out from the book she was hiding behind, nose twitching nervously as she tried to see if he was still there.

He was, and he was looking at her now, curiously, head cocked slightly to the side. When they made eye contact, he smiled a soft, easy smile.

She hid behind her book again, heart racing and mind jittery. _He'd seen her!_ Then she heard footsteps, smelt the familiar scent of his musk coming closer.

 _Please don't come over here, please don't come over here, please don-_

"Well, well, well," he said smoothly, pulling out the chair across from her. "If it isn't Zootopia's future bunny cop."

 _Damn it._

 _Did he even remember her name?_ Judy pushed the thought away as quickly as it came. She didn't care what he thought or remembered of her. Their… _interaction_ had just been a fling, right? Something they were supposed to just accept and move on from, right?

So why was he talking to her?

"Nick," she said, setting her book down, and while she intended to sound coy, the squeak in her voice gave her away.

He smiled at her, looking her over once before turning his attention to the patterns he was idly tracing with his paw on the table. "I haven't seen you around, Fluff. You almost had me missing you."

She could feel that damned blush creeping up again. "Well, there's almost 40,000 students enrolled here," she remarked casually. "It's pretty easy to lose track of people."

He eyed her again. "Guess so."

Judy just glanced at him, feeling conflicted. A part of her was still wishing he'd never spotted her, but another, louder part was rejoicing that he did. As much as she tried not too, she'd started missing him too.

"What's wrong?" He asked suddenly, catching the bunny off guard.

"W-what?"

"You seem…I dunno. Weird."

Her response was curt. "I'm fine."

"C'mon, Carrots, I think we've established that you're easy to read. What's going on in that bunny brain of yours?"

 _You, kissing me at that party. The way you smiled at me, understood me. The way I'm still feeling fluttery, even though I'm sober. The way I wish you'd kiss me again. You, shoving these books aside and pulling me into your arms and -_

"I'm just stressed about this test I have coming up," she answered quickly, which wasn't a complete lie - she was. "It's tomorrow morning, and my neighbors were being loud, as usual. That's why I came here in the first place - to get away from them."

"Well," Nick said slowly, giving her a sly smile, "I got an off-campus apartment, if you ever need a place to study or if you wanna…you know."

Judy raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

He smiled more, giving her a better view of his impressive teeth. "Hook up again."

Her cheeks flushed red as she gaped at him, completely taken aback. "I…we…you…oh, sweet goodness."

He shrugged in that casual way of his, leaning back in his chair. "That is, if you wanted to."

Normally, if someone approached Judy like this, she would have rebuked them right away. She didn't have time to focus on "hook ups" or romance, and besides, this kind of attention from guys always made her roll her eyes - it was just so _cheesy._ But when Nick flirted with her?

She just hoped he couldn't hear how fast her heart was racing.

"I don't think that's such a good idea," Judy said quickly, shoving her things into her book bag.

Nick looked so hurt, he was almost pouting. "Why not, Carrots?" He asked, following her as she stood up and began to walk away. "I thought we had fun."

Judy gave a nervous laugh as she inadvertently led him through some rows of bookshelves, not really knowing where she was going or what she was looking for. She found that when she was stressed, confused, or just needed to think clearly, the best thing for her to do was _move._ So she did, pretending as if there was a book she really, really needed. "Because, we barely know each other!" She explained, glancing up and down the shelves absentmindedly.

"Then we can get to know each other!" He insisted. "We can go out, or something."

Her heart skipped a beat. She kept walking. "So…you and I, we would go somewhere? Together? And…do stuff?" She mentally cursed herself, hating how tongue-tied she was around him.

He gave a little huff of a laugh. "It's called a date, sweetheart."

Judy paused, stopping to lean back against a row of bookshelves. She chewed on her lip as she thought, glancing up at him with shy violet eyes. _A date._ The notion was unfamiliar to her; the last time she'd been on one was in high school, with another rabbit. It hadn't gone well, not only due to confusing teenage hormones, but mainly the way he hadn't shut up about himself, the way he'd laughed at her when she'd told him about her dream of being an officer. To put the cherry on top of the horrible-first-date cake, she'd nudged him away when he tried to kiss her goodnight.

But a date with this fox would be different, that she knew. For one, she already knew that he was a lot better at conversation, he accepted her dream, and if he tried to kiss her…

Judy was more than willing to let him.

She still hadn't replied to him, and he hesitated, eyeing her a little nervously. "You did have fun the other night, right?"

"Yes!" She answered, a little too quickly. "I mean…you were, we…" Every second she rambled on only seemed to amuse the fox more, causing him to grin, which made her smile too. "Shut up!" She blushed, laughing despite herself. "You almost had me accepting your offer."

He raised his eyebrows. "Did I?"

She nodded coyly.

He placed a paw on the bookshelf behind her, leaning into her as he smiled. "Alright, Fluff. What do I gotta do to get you to accept?"

In her head, she sounded a lot more confident, alluring. But when she made her request, the shy part of her shown through, even if just a fraction. "Kiss me."

Without further request, he closed the remaining distance between them, and all those butterfly-y feelings that were so new to Judy came rushing back all at once. His paw cupped her chin, tilting her closer to him as he dipped his head. It was a quiet little thing, much less passionate than their last kiss and with far less tongues involved. And yet, to Judy, this chaste, soft kiss tucked away in some hushed corner of a library meant so much more.

After a long beat, she pulled back, and Nick gave an audible whine. The bunny smiled up at him, giggling when he tried to pull her back in for another kiss. Everything had a learning curve, and she was quickly learning him. The awkwardness she'd first felt was ebbing away now, replaced by a determination, the same kind she got before a test. "If you want to kiss me again," she said, digging into her backpack and ripping off a sheet of notebook paper, "You'll take me out Friday night."

She jotted down her number, handed it to him, and he looked incredulously at her before relaxing back into that cocky smile of his. "Sounds like a deal, Carrots."

Judy matched his smile. "Guess so."

"Although, maybe we should kiss again, just so we have something to hold us over until then."

"Yeah, I don't think so," she replied smoothly, pulling away from him. "Looks like you're just going to have to wait 'till Friday! You better make it worth my wait."

His face brightened mischievously, accepting her unspoken challenge. "Trust me, Cottontail, it will be."

Judy Hopps had never been one to back down from a challenge, and this would be no different. A part of this curve was learning that Nick was a game, from the way they bantered to the way he kissed her, she was going to master it all. So she gave a final playful smirk, turned away with a spin of her hips.

 _"_ _Perfect."_


	3. One Date and Counting

_So, a date,_ Judy thought anxiously, staring at herself in her dorm room mirror. It was the first one she'd been on in a solid 2 years, so it wasn't completely unexpected that she had no idea what she was doing. Like for starters, what on earth was she supposed to wear? She'd never been big on fashion, choosing instead to wear whatever was comfortable, not fashionable (much to her older sisters' lament), but a date was different! Weren't you supposed to dress up? Or at least, clean up a little? But what if she dressed up and he didn't? Or vice-versa? Either way she'd look ridiculous next to him! The algorithm of it all made her head hurt, and she wondered if she should just text him and post-pone the whole thing entirely. Clearly, she wasn't ready, she was completely out of her element, and Nick probably had so much more experience…

The bunny then shook her head, snapping herself out of it. "You're going to do fine," she muttered to her reflection, "You're Judy Laverne Hopps and you're going to go on a date and everything's going to be perfect!" The Judy in the mirror looked confident in this, and the Judy looking back in the fluffy, carrot-adorned bathrobe decided she would be too.

 _"Bathrobe!"_ She gasped suddenly, running back to look through her closet for what felt like the millionth time. She couldn't just stand there, still not dressed! She had to pick out something, and fast, Nick was going to be here in exactly 21 minutes, and 15…14…13 seconds, according to the alarm she'd set on her phone! And she was still undressed, fur unbrushed, purse only half-packed.

She'd practically torn apart her entire wardrobe before she finally settled on something simple, but cute: a soft violet sweater and white skirt. And it'd only taken her 10 minutes!

After getting dressed, she rushed back to her mirror and brushed down her fur, making sure every strand was perfectly in place. While doing so, she found herself constantly glancing at her phone, checking for both the timer and any new messages. She and Nick had been texting ever since they'd ran into each other at the library Tuesday night, keeping each other up late at night and distracted during class. Every notification she got from him made her heart skip a beat and her ears perk up excitedly. She felt like such a dumb bunny, the way she'd read and re-read every message, joke, and sly compliment he'd send her, but she couldn't help it! Nick was just so much _fun,_ in a different way than the kind of fun they'd had at the party. Fun as in he made her laugh, a lot. Fun as in she felt like conversing with him was perfectly natural, even though she'd only known him for a short time. Fun as in he was supposed to be here in exactly 4 minutes, 3 seconds (and counting), and she just wished he'd hurry up because she was so excited to see him again.

She'd just finished brushing her fur and getting her purse together when there was a knock on the door. Judy grinned as she ran to open it. She stopped short before opening it though, checking one last time that everything was in place and that she looked as close to perfect as she could. Then, taking a deep breath, she opened the door.

Nick stood waiting, wearing a leather jacket over a tie and long-sleeve button-up that still wasn't tucked into his pants. He was smiling at her though, and that alone was enough to make Judy's heart go all fluttery inside.

 _She really was such a dumb bunny._

"Hey, Carrots," he said coolly, "Ready to go?"

"Yes!" She insisted, darting over to where she'd left her purse on her dresser. "And may I just say, you actually clean up very nice."

The fox smirked, watching as she skipped back over to him and bustled them both out of her room. "You don't look so bad yourself, Fluff," he teased back, raising a paw to affectionately tug on her ear. "Pretty cute, even."

Judy blushed as she locked her door. While normally, she cringed at the "c-word," when Nick said it, she knew he wasn't trying to demean her. Quite the opposite, or at least, she hoped so. Either way, it was a discussion for another time. "C'mon, slick," she smiled, locking her door behind them and grabbing his paw. "Let's get out of here."

"You got it, bunny," The fox grinned, letting her drag him down the hallway. "One amazing night of fun, wonders, and more coming right up, courtesy of the best fox in Zootopia: Nick Wilde."

"The humblest too," Judy added with a laugh, to which Nick only winked.

* * *

Zootopia University was nestled atop a hill overlooking the grand city. It wasn't really a part of any of the 4 main city districts, but had a climate similar to Savanna Central. There wasn't really much to do around the university itself, a couple mom n' pop shops and not much else, so it wasn't surprising when Nick first brought her to the train station and purchased two tickets into the heart of Zootopia.

"What exactly do you have in mind, Wilde?" Judy asked as he escorted her to her seat.

"Alright, here it goes," Nick sat beside her as he counted off his plan on his paws. "First I thought we could go bungee-jumping off some waterfalls in the Rainforest District, then mountain-climbing in Tundra Town, then finish up the evening with a nice round of sky-diving in the district of your choice."

Judy blinked at him.

He looked at her seriously, waited a beat, then suddenly burst out laughing. "I'm joking, Fluff! God, you bunnies, so gullible…"

Judy blushed and smiled, cheeks hot as she chided herself for believing him. "Jerk!" She exclaimed, nudging him. "I can't believe I fell for that!"

He laughed more, earning himself another nudge. "Alright, alright — sorry," he smiled. "I have a plan, but it's a surprise, okay?"

She eyed him wryly. "Does it involve dangerous heights?"

"Possibly. Just…trust me."

The bunny gave a shy smile, nose twitching curiously. She just _had_ toknow what he had in store! Nick was so exciting, and fun, and interesting — she knew whatever he had planned had to be too. But even despite that, she wanted to let him lead her along — she had to admit, she loved surprises. So she sighed, trying not to sound too eager in her response. "Okay."

The ride into Savanna Central was only 20 minutes, but it felt so much quicker when Judy was leaning into Nick, listening to him quietly narrate into her ear what other passengers on the train were thinking or doing. She'd had to bite down hard on her lip to keep from laughing out loud, and one time Nick had to put his paw over her mouth to muffle the bark of laughter she'd let out after he'd narrated the panda with the fanny pack and completely unironic Destiny's Cub t-shirt. The panda still eyed them anyway.

Once they got into the city, Nick escorted her to the downtown area, where everything was bustling with nightlife and activity. Judy had been to Savanna Central only once before, when she'd first moved from the Burrows to school, but Nick said he'd grown up here. He gave her a tour as they walked down sidewalks, their paws intertwined casually.

"There's so much to do here!" Judy gasped, eyes wide as she tried to take it all in. "Where do you even start?"

He shrugged. "Wherever you want, Fluff."

She chewed on her lip anxiously, brow furrowed. "Oh, I can't decide! That elephant ice cream shop looks fun, but so does that creepy antique shop! And that mouse cirque-du-soleil you told me about sounds amazing!"

"Well, I don't know if you ate already —"

"I had just a couple carrots…"

"—But it wouldn't be a proper date without some kind of food, right?" He finished, smiling in almost a shy way, if it was even possible for Nick Wilde to appear shy. "So, let's get something to eat."

"Oh, Nick," Judy smiled gently, "You don't have to worry about it! I'm having fun already!"

He got her food anyway, food which turned out to be cupcakes. She didn't complain, especially when she got a carrot-cake flavored one with a delicious cream-cheese frosting center and _real_ carrot chunks and cinnamon topping and—

Needless to say, she was a very happy bunny.

They took their cupcakes (well, _her_ cupcakes, Nick got a couple blueberry muffins for himself instead), left the little bakery, and roamed the downtown area before they found somewhere to sit.

And that was how Judy Laverne Hopps wound up sitting on a park bench, side-by-side with a fox, licking frosting off her fingers, and feeling the most relaxed that she ever had since she started college. It was the last day of January, and the park was already getting itself set up for Valentine's Day in two weeks, via numerous strands of white string lights wrapped around the trees. The night sky was illuminated by the gleam and glow of the city, but if they looked far enough, towards the edge of the city, there was the faint flicker of stars.

The whole setting was quite romantic, but Judy was focused on something else: the ZPD, which sat on the edge of the park, off in the distance. She studied its outline carefully, the tall windows that reflected the night sky, the bold, silver letters that spelt out 'POLICE.' Looking at it, watching the officers and citizens walk out of it, it all made her even more determined to achieve her goal.

"I'm going to work there someday," Judy said aloud, sitting up straighter, as if it was already set in stone.

Nick turned to look at her as he finished the last of his blueberry muffins. He was quiet for a moment, and while she studied the building he studied her.

"The ZPD, I mean," she continued. "I just know it."

"I know it too," the fox said, and Judy turned to him with a bashful smile. "You probably care more than everyone in there combined."

Judy hoped that wasn't true, but the compliment made her smile nonetheless. "So, what about you, Slick?" She asked, scooting across the bench to be closer to him. "What's your dream?"

"My dream?" He echoed, giving a huff of a laugh. "That's a little existential for a first date, Carrots."

"Oh, c'mon, you know what I mean. I told you mine and I want to know yours! What do you want to do someday?"

The fox thought for a moment, looking off at nothing in particular. "I…uh…want to go skydiving, and bungee-jumping in the rainforest district, maybe a little mountain climbing in—"

Judy punched him in the arm. "Nick! I'm being serious! That joke wasn't even funny the first time!"

He gave her a smirk. "What can I say, Fluff? I'm a man of very little dreams."

She knew he was lying. Everyone had to have a dream, what else was there worth living for? But maybe she was pushing it too far, this was only their first date after all.

So she let it slide, but she knew that someday she would find out.

Someday.

* * *

After the park, the couple explored more of the city together. It was more fun than it sounded, but then again Nick probably could have taken her anywhere and she still would have had fun — she just really liked spending time with him.

Even though Savanna Central had a naturally warmer climate, the brisk late January/early February chill still hung sharp in the air. They were walking when Judy brought her paws around herself and rubbed her arms (very much regretting the skirt), an action that didn't go unnoticed by Nick.

"Carrots, you look like you're freezing!" He chided her, shrugging the leather jacket off himself and draping it over her shoulders. "There."

The jacket did help a lot, as Judy instantly felt warmer (though granted, that also could have been due to the raging blush on her cheeks). "Thank you, Nick," she said, looking up at him happily. "How chivalrous of you."

He shrugged, slipping his hands into his pockets. "Hey, I try. Sometimes."

Judy laughed softly as she slipped her arms through the armholes. The jacket was so big on her, it went all the way down to her knees. She was practically swimming in it, and the moment she put it on she was hit by the smoky and musky scent of him.

It was perfect.

She took her paw in his and held it again. "So, what do you have planned next?" Judy chirped, her heart starting to sink when she saw they were heading back to the train station. _Was it over already?_

"I told you to trust me, right?"

"Yes — and I do."

"Alright, then let's go."

They took the train to the rainforest district, a place much more humid and warmer than Savanna Central, so much so that she probably didn't need to wear his jacket anymore.

She still kept it on.

He led her up a series of staircases, ramps, and bridges, all the while getting higher and higher from the ground. Judy wasn't afraid of heights, but that didn't mean it still wasn't slightly nerve-wracking to cross these slick, rickety bridges that were hundreds of feet above the ground. _Where were they going?_

"Nick, I swear, if you were serious about the bungee-jumping—"

But she suddenly came to a halt, tilting her head to the side curiously. Thankfully, there were no cliffs or bungee-cords in sight, but instead the sky-tram station.

"I thought we could get a better view of the city from up here," Nick explained, opening the door of a tram for her.

"Oooh, yes!" Judy gasped excitedly, darting right onto the tram. "I've always wanted to ride in one of these!" She exclaimed, gripping onto the front rail and looking down below.

Nick entered behind her, an easy smile resting on his face. "I can tell," he said, amused. "Though, if you hop up and down any more you just might break the tram."

"Har, har," Judy said with an eye roll, but she did stop jumping — at least a little. She just couldn't help it! She wanted to see everything and do everything and try everything there was to do in Zootopia, and this was definitely something that was on the top of the list.

She wasn't disappointed, not in the slightest.

There was so much to see, Judy wished she could freeze in this moment just so she could take it all in. There were waterfalls, rushing and flowing and misting her fur. Bungalows, tucked into the trees with warm lights glowing inside. Trees bursting with colorful exotic flowers that she wished she could have reached out and picked. There were gray clouds that hung above the Rainforest District, clouds that the tram burst through, and from there she could see almost every star in the night sky.

"This is amazing!" Judy gasped, and for a moment she felt suddenly overwhelmed with how happy she was and how fun this was and because of all these dumb bunny emotions she couldn't stop herself from grabbing Nick and kissing him eagerly.

Nick looked shocked when she pulled away, and she blushed. It was almost funny to her, in a way, how they'd so brazenly kissed at that party, but these sober kisses made both of them feel so shy. _Maybe because they were_ ** _real_** _,_ Judy thought vaguely, _not just some drunken make-out session to get yourselves off._

"Well, can't say I disagree," Nick said, smirking again, as he always did.

She hugged him tightly, not holding on for too long, in case it was weird for him. After all, as well as this date was going, Judy still felt she had no idea what she was doing. She looked at him, pulled away shyly, but he dragged her back in, using one arm wrapped around her back to hold her close.

She smiled, leaned into him. Now she remembered what she was doing.

She was learning.

* * *

On the train ride back to campus, they sat even closer than they had on the way there, sharing a seat. Nick had his arm wrapped casually around her back, his jacket still over her shoulders, and Judy kept her head rested against him. They were quieter this time too, saying nothing as Nick rubbed his paw up and down her arm and Judy tried not to move for fear that he would stop.

They got back to school, and Nick walked her to her dormitory, eyeing the environment skeptically. "How can you live here?" He asked as she put her key into her room's door. "This place is _tiny."_

"I don't have a lot of things," Judy shrugged, "Besides, I'm hardly in my room anyways."

"Whatever you say, Carrots," Nick replied, leaning beside the door. "Just remember, the offer for my place still stands, whenever you'd like. Maybe we could go there for our second date, even."

She gave him a sly smile as she turned to face him. "Second? You're that confident, huh?"

"Oh c'mon, you know you at least had _a little_ fun."

Judy looked up at the ceiling, brow furrowing as if immersed in deep thought. "Did I?" His face flickered with concern for a moment, but she didn't make him suffer long, instead yanking on his tie, pulling him down to her level. She smiled, breath ghosting across his muzzle. "Yes, yes I did."

Nick smiled, chuckling and muttering something under his breath that sounded like "sly bunny," and she leaned in even closer, closing the distance between them in a sweet goodbye kiss.

Afterwards, once Nick had left, she entered her room, feeling a weird sense of numbness. She glanced in the mirror, still wearing his jacket. She'd have to remember to give it back to him later. _A chance to see him again,_ her mind teased, and she felt herself blushing and smiling all stupidly again because she was Judy Laverne Hopps and she went on a date with the nicest, funniest, best fox in Zootopia and everything had been and was perfect!

She tossed her bag aside and flopped onto her bed face-forward, hugging her pillow and smiling into it. She was such a dumb bunny, a dumb bunny with such a big dumb bunny crush.

And that was fine.


	4. Nice and Nicer

Judy usually regarded Valentine's Day with great disdain. Bunnies were already stereotyped for being amorous mammals, and the holiday didn't make it any better. Every year leading up to it, she'd get cat-called by hares and rabbits only looking for a way to get themselves off Valentine's Day night. So, while other bunnies spent the holiday making heart eyes at each other and doing it like, well, bunnies, Judy was usually sulking in her room, watching old re-runs of Law and Order and munching on the Valentine's Day cookies her mother baked.

But this year was different — she'd realized this during a homework session with Nick in the library. She'd been buried in a textbook when Nick had joined her with two red Stag-bucks cups.

"Here," he'd said, handing her the heart-adorned cup.

Judy smiled at him. "Thanks!" She eyed the hearts on the mug and frowned. Yet another reminder that Valentine's Day was coming up. She instinctively recoiled at the thought — yet another night spent alone, wallowing with discount chocolates.

"Anytime, cottontail," Nick said as he sat beside her. They were on the second floor of the library, textbooks, notes, and pencil shavings spread out across the coffee table in front of them. They were sitting on a chair that was intended for bigger mammals, like a cheetah or lion perhaps, but the large space made it the perfect size for them to share.

She took a sip from her cup as Nick flipped open a textbook. It felt comfortable, just working together, side-by-side, and Judy found that there was something soothing in it. When they were together, there was no pressure to do something, or interact constantly. Just simply _being_ together was enough.

She was just finishing reviewing the Zootopian Hate Crime statutes for her Criminal Justice class when Nick spoke up.

"So, ya' got any plans for this weekend?" He asked nonchalantly, not looking up from his Economics textbook.

"No," Judy answered without thinking. Then she paused, realization hitting her. _Nick was her boyfriend. Well, she was seeing him. Casually. Sort of seriously. They were a thing._ She peeked up from her book at him. "Unless…you have plans?"

"Well, it _is_ Valentine's Day," Nick said, setting his book down, and despite his red fur, Judy swore that she saw the hint of a blush. "We should do something, right?"

Judy shrugged. "Sure!"

He shifted in his seat to face her. "Well then, I was wondering if you wanted to come over to my place for a little hang n' bang," Nick asked casually.

She raised an eyebrow.

"Or just hang!" He smiled, correcting himself quickly.

Judy laughed softly and shook her head. _A real Valentine's Day spent with a real boyfriend._ "That actually sounds great," she replied, reaching out to give his paw a squeeze.

Nick beamed at her, seeming almost pleasantly surprised. "Really?"

"Yes!" She nodded, squirming in their seat a little. The idea was getting her excited already. "It'll be fun, plus I'm really excited to see your apartment, and meet your roommate!"

"Ah, yeah, about that," Nick coughed, looking off to the side nervously, "Finnick has a bit of an…acquired taste. He may come off a little strong, but he means well."

"I'm sure I'll love him," Judy smiled.

The fox shrugged, pulling their paws apart to lean back in the seat. "Whatever you say, Fluff. You've been warned."

Judy snorted as she teased, "You're so dramatic."

"You love it."

"Do I?" She looked up at the ceiling in thought. "No, no I don't."

Nick gave a bark of laughter as she smiled mischievously. "Alright, that's it!" he said. He pulled the book and cup out of her paws and set it aside on the table. Judy giggled as he then wrapped his arms around her waist and brought her in to nip at her neck playfully.

Needless to say, they didn't get much homework done.

* * *

When the big day finally arrived, Judy couldn't help but feel nervous. This was her first time spending the holiday with an actual boyfriend, a boyfriend that was fox, a fox that'd she'd only been seeing for a little over 2 weeks. That wasn't a lot of time — how serious was it going to be?

She was just finishing getting dressed when her phone rang. Judy dashed eagerly to answer it, thinking it may be Nick, but her heart faltered when she saw it was her mother.

Judy glanced at the clock. She still had 10 minutes before she had to leave for Nick's, she could probably squeeze in a quick muzzle-time. She didn't want her parents to worry, after all.

So she sat at her small desk, adorning a big smile as she accepted the call. "Hey, Mom!"

"Judy!" Her mother beamed. "How are 'ya?"

"Good!" Judy chirped in reply. "It's all the usual here — homework, classes, missing you guys!"

 _And occasionally sucking face with a fox._

Judy felt her cheeks grow hot as her thoughts betrayed her, but she kept smiling, listening as her mother went on about how great that all was and how proud her father and she were.

Judy just hoped her phone's camera wouldn't pick up her blush.

"So, Judy, why didn't you come home for Valentine's Day?" Her mother asked, leaning closer to the muzzle-time camera with an innocent, inquisitive smile. She was holding the camera with one hand and rocking Judy's newest sibling in the other. "You always come home for holidays, bun-bun!"

Judy cleared her throat, glancing off nervously. "Uh, actually, about that…" She nibbled on her lower lip, nervousness gnawing at her with every moment she avoided telling her mother the truth. Yes, admittedly, Judy had visited home for Thanksgiving, Christmas, _and_ New Year's. The only other holiday she'd missed was Halloween, but that was only because her friend Benjamin had _really_ wanted to go to this Halloween party together — he'd made them matching costumes and everything.

She knew all the home visits were probably excessive, but it was her first year of her entire life living away from home! She missed her family, and it wasn't like she had much to do here, other than studying. The thing was that Valentine's Day was different than any other holiday. She had a _boyfriend_ now.

She just couldn't let her mother know that. Or, any member of her family, rather. Judy had the feeling that her parents wouldn't take the news that her daughter was seeing a _fox_ so well. As much as she hated lying to them, she didn't want to tell them the truth, not yet. She and Nick were still lovebirds, testing the waters, learning more about each other every day. She didn't even know if they were really that serious or not.

So she told a half-truth.

"I…uh…have some other plans!" Judy said, looking down.

Her mother gasped, startling Judy so much she nearly fell out of her desk chair. "Cheese and crackers, Mom!" Judy squeaked, "You nearly scared the carrots out of m—"

"Is it a boy?!" Mrs. Hopps gasped eagerly, rocking the kit more when it started to fuss.

 _"_ _A boy?!"_ Her father's voice exclaimed, and within seconds, Mr. Hopps was at his wife's side, leaning his twitching nose into the camera. "Where?"

 _Great._ As if Judy wasn't blushing enough already.

"Hey, Dad," Judy said, smiling through her teeth. "I didn't know you were here! How are you?"

"Are you seeing someone, Jude?" Her father asked, ignoring her question.

Judy hesitated. "I…uh…well, you see…"

Her parents blinked at her.

"Yes."

Her mother gasped excitedly, while her father groaned loudly. "Oh, bun-bun," Mrs. Hopps gushed, "That's just great! I never thought this day would come! Now you can settle down, start a litter—"

"Whoa!" Judy exclaimed, eyes widening. "I'm not going to start a litter, Mom! We just met! It's too soon!" _And genetically impossible._

"We better meet him soon, Jude!" Her father insisted, smiling, though clearly fighting back discomfort. "You'll let us meet him, right?"

Another half-truth. "Yeah!" _In a couple months…years, maybe._

"Well, that is just grand!" Her mother smiled, holding the baby kit closer to her chest. "I hope you two have fun tonight!"

"Not too much fun though," Her father added in warning.

"I know, Dad," Judy sighed, heart sinking. She hated lying. Even though she hadn't said it explicitly, she knew her parents thought she was seeing a bunny. And for her, not telling them otherwise was enough of a lie.

"Bye-bye now!" Her mother beamed, and the call ended.

Judy sighed again, tossing her phone onto the desk in front of her and slumping back in her chair. Was she a terrible person? She certainly hoped not. She just wanted to stop stressing again, like she had the moment she met Nick.

She decided then that she really needed to see him. Nick was like a drug to her, and she was quickly becoming hooked. He always knew how to make her worries fade away, to make her feel like she was flying on top of the world.

It was all incredibly addicting.

She didn't mind.

Judy hopped up from her desk, grabbed her stuff, and turned to look at herself in the mirror. She was wearing a white calico dress with a cute carrot pattern and a peter pan collar. It was still a bit chilly out, so she grabbed Nick's jacket to wear on top.

 _Perfect._

Nick's apartment was only a minute or two away from campus, so Judy just decided to walk. She left her dorm, and within 20 minutes crossed the large campus and made it to his place.

"Alright," she muttered, looking at the address he'd texted her. "Suite 55B." She entered the apartment building and took the steps up to the second floor, admiring how much nicer his place really was. While her dorm building looked like it was built a hundred years ago, and smelt like it too, this apartment complex felt fresh and modern.

Rather quickly, she found his suite, and knocked on the door excitedly. She bounced on her feet as she waited for him to answer, giddiness rising up within her with every passing moment.

Finally, after what felt like _forever,_ Nick opened the door, wearing a short-sleeved, light blue shirt and a smile. "Well, well, if it isn't Officer Fluff — still wearing the best-looking jacket I've ever seen, I might add."

"Hello to you too, Slick," Judy said, unable to stop herself from smiling.

"Come on in," Nick said, opening the door wider for her.

Judy entered, taking in everything with awe. There was a small kitchenette to the right with a large pile of dishes towering in the sink. The counters looked freshly wiped, like someone had been frantically cleaning them moments earlier, and Judy smiled at the notion of Nick trying to fix his place up for her.

Straight across the room, there were two glass double-doors with a balcony overlooking the city street. There was a beat-up lawn chair out there, and from what Judy could see, a couple cigarette butts.

There were two doors, leading to two bedrooms, Judy assumed, with one on each side of the suite. In the center of the room was a living area, with a futon and surprisingly impressive flatscreen.

"That's Finnick's," Nick explained when Judy turned to look at him with a questioning brow.

Judy hummed with an amused smile as she took off her jacket, which Nick gallantly hung up for her in a small coat closet. "Speaking of, where is Finnick?" She asked, looking around.

"I think he ran out to get some beers," Nick shrugged, shutting the closet door and turning to face her. "So it's just the two of us."

He gave her a wink on his last words, causing Judy's face to heat up. She wasn't going to let him get her _too_ flustered, though, she wanted to show to him that she wasn't just some shy, naive freshman. "Good," she said cooly, pushing past him to sit on his futon, "Just the way I like it."

Nick smirked at that, eyes scanning her over before he went to sit beside her. "Can't say I disagree, Fluff."

Judy smiled at him, and there was a slight pause as she planned her next move, which turned out to be sliding closer and resting her paw on his arm. "Your place is really nice," She said gently. "And you've been so nice, and…I'm really glad I'm here."

"I am too," he murmured, keeping his gaze locked on hers.

She blushed, feeling like a shy, dumb, love-struck bunny, but then he started leaning in closer and all feelings that weren't heart-pounding, fluttery, or lascivious left instantly.

Nick brought his paw up to cup her chin and pull her in closer to him, just like in all the romantic movies Judy had seen (which admittedly, she could count on one paw, but still). Her eyes fluttered close as he brought her closer to him, their noses touching before she tilted her head to the side and—

"I got you something."

His breath ghosted across her face as he spoke, voice teasing.

Judy froze, mouth still puckered and brow wrinkled in confusion. "What?"

He pulled back to smile at her. "A present, Fluff." He reached under the futon to bring out a small, red gift bag, topped with a very sloppily tied bow.

The bunny blinked at him, torn between happy surprise and frustrated disappointment. "You…you jerk!" She finally exclaimed, laughing despite herself. She took the bag from his paws, looking at it in shock. "We never said we were doing presents! I never got you anything!"

"Don't care," He smirked, leaning back against the futon and putting his paws behind his head. "Just open the bag, Carrots."

Judy huffed as looked up at him, reluctantly removing the tissue paper from the bag. She dug a paw inside and retrieved her present, only to find—

A small bunny. Not a real one, of course, but a small plush one. It had caramel-brown fur, a white belly, and was holding a small red heart in its paws.

It was ridiculously cheesy.

But she loved it.

"I noticed all those bunnies on your bed," Nick said as she blinked at it, a slight teasing tone in his voice.

Judy flashed back to the last time she'd had him over (something that didn't occur too often, with her dorm being the size of a walk-in closet and her neighbors serving as a Greek Chorus every time she and Nick got even close to doing anything romantic), when he'd been lounging back on her bed, where indeed, she kept her large collection of stuffed bunnies. She knew it was probably a bit childish, but back at the burrows, she'd always shared a bed with at least 10 of her siblings. The space was too lonely without them. She hadn't even noticed Nick looking at them, but he obviously must have been.

The unexpected thoughtfulness and attention to detail took her by surprise, and she blinked up at him, pulling the bunny close to her heart. "Thank you, Nick," she smiled.

Nick blushed slightly and looked away, shrugging casually. "Don't mention, Carrots. Just thought you might like it."

"I do!" Judy insisted, throwing her arms around his neck in a hug. Nick smiled and held her waist, and Judy noted with a strange sense of glee that he could circumference her entire waist with his paws. "Almost as much as I like you."

"Don't get too soft on me now, Fluff," Nick grumbled, but Judy simply smiled and nuzzled her nose into the crook of his neck.

"Nah," she replied, taking in the scent she was quickly growing to love, "Besides, I don't think I could get any mushier than you."

He nudged her playfully, but she laughed, and within seconds he joined in.

The pair spent the rest of the evening cuddled on the futon, watching this cheesy, terribly acted romantic comedy. Judy had pressed her head against his chest, loving the way she could feel the rumble and vibration of every laugh he gave. It would shake his whole chest, and he'd glance down at her to see if she was laughing too. During slow parts, his paw would come down to ruffle the top of her head and stroke her ears.

It was nice.

What happened next was even nicer.

It'd started off innocently enough, just cuddling and nothing more. But then cuddling had led to wandering paws, wandering paws led to casual petting, and casual petting escalated into shamelessly making out on the futon.

Judy wasn't complaining.

The last time they'd kissed like this had been at the party, only this time it was so much better because Judy wasn't drunk and she could feel _everything_ — his hot breaths against her neck, the light prick of his claws dragging against her fur—

She kept telling herself to stay in control, to maintain some of her morals (which were quickly being tossed aside, along with Nick's shirt), but it was so very hard when he was growling her name and she was running her paws through the soft fur on his chest.

She was lying under him, back arching as he ran his claws down her front, when they were interrupted by a knock on the door.

It was probably for the best, Judy thought dazedly as Nick swore and scrambled for his shirt. She was starting to get what her mother had always said about bunny hormones — they were powerful. Every muscle in her was crying in despair at the loss of contact, and it took everything in her to not jump him right now.

"Wh-what…who is it?" Judy asked, blinking up at him, still in a daze.

"That'd be Finnick," Nick answered, buttoning his shirt and wincing when the knocking escalated. "Hold on."

He gave her a quick kiss on the nose, and Judy nodded. She sat up on the couch, patting down her ruffled dress and fur as Nick rushed to the door to unlock it.

Nick opened the door to a flurry of swear words and what sounded like a couple smacks upside the head.

Judy's eyes opened wide as she peered out from the couch, trying to get a better view of the situation, but she couldn't see Finnick anywhere. Her brow furrowed in confusion. _Where was he?_

"Alright, alright! Sorry!" Nick said, though he sounded like he was laughing. "Look, it's not my fault you forgot your key again."

"What you doing that got you so distracted in here, Nicky?" Finnick snapped, and Judy finally got a view of the small, sandy-collared fennec fox as he entered the apartment, a pair of sunglasses perched on his head and a grocery bag in his hand. "Or who, I guess."

Nick cleared his throat, and Finnick finally turned to see Judy, from where she still sat on the couch.

It would seem that a bunny had been the last thing he expected to see, because Finnick looked shocked.

"Hi!" Judy chirped, waving from the couch. "I'm Judy Hopps! It's nice to meet you!"

Finnick swore under his breath again, turning to look at Nick incredulously. "You're hooking up with a bunny, Nick?"

Nick shrugged. "Some might call it 'dating,' but that works too."

Finnick set his bag down on the counter, and Judy noted with amusement that he needed to hop onto a stool to reach it in the first place. "What the hell," he shrugged indifferently, pulling out a 6-pack, potato chips, and other general items. "You've always been a kinky shi—"

"Aw, c'mon, buddy," Nick said, cutting him off and ruffling the top of Finnick's head. "I'm sorry, you're just going to have to find someone else to watch Purr-ide and Prejudice with, I know how much you _love_ that movie."

Judy laughed, and Nick winked at her.

Finnick didn't find his jab as amusing, and jumped up in the air, trying to get a couple hits in, but failing (even with the help of the stool), much to Nick and Judy's amusement. "Man, shut the hell up! You're full of it, you know that?"

"Hey, now!" Nick laughed and held his paws in front of him in defense. "Jude's gonna be a cop, so if you try anything, you'll have to get locked up, _again."_

Finnick opened his mouth to retort, then paused.

Judy felt herself blush as the smaller fox turned to look at her disbelievingly. "You serious?" He asked.

She nodded. "Absolutely! It's been my dream ever since I was a kid!"

He blinked at her for a moment before bursting out laughing. "Well, damn! You pretty crazy, you know that, bunny? No wonder you hooked up with Nick!"

Nick rolled his eyes as Judy pouted. "And that's Finnick for you," Nick quipped, turning to look at her. "Small, and yet full of bitterness, as well as an alcohol level that's constantly a couple ounces over the legal limit."

Finnick finally landed a punch to Nick's arm before turning to Judy. "Hey, when you 'come a cop, can you get me immunity or some shit?"

Judy smiled wryly. "We'll just have to see, won't we?"

"We will," Nick finished for her, leaving the kitchenette to join her on the couch. "We're gonna see that you're going to be the most bad-ass, hottest cop in all of Zootopia."

Judy blushed, but grinned at him, crawling back into his lap and kissing his nose. "Dumb fox."

He looked at her through half-lidded eyes, mouth curling upward when she kissed him. "It's true," he smiled, "You won't even have to try to stop criminals, they'll just take one look at you and surrender."

"And what if I arrest you?" Judy teased.

"What would you arrest me for?"

"Being illegally adorable," she cooed playfully, to which Nick laughed and pressed his mouth to hers.

"You two are disgusting," Finnick smirked with an eyeroll, grabbing a beer from the counter and walking off to his room. "Don't stain my futon."

Nick only mumbled some incoherent reply against Judy's mouth.

Judy had never felt so happily, stupidly, hopelessly smitten. Maybe she was even in love, but it was too soon to tell — she was still learning, after all. She was starting to get this romance thing, and the dumb bunny inside her hopped for joy over thoughts of _soulmates_ and _true love._

The smart bunny inside of her reminded herself that they were still in the honeymoon phase, and everything was supposed to feel stupidly perfect and wonderful. And the phase had to end, Judy knew this.

She just didn't expect it to happen so soon.


	5. Plain Sight

She'd noticed it on a date to Tundra Town.

 _The stares._

Judy and Nick had been sitting in a coffee shop, fur still tingling from when they'd made snow angels earlier. Seated at a table, each sipping a hot chocolate, they were silently enjoying each other's company. Judy had been wearing his university sweater, one that he'd loaned her and she'd "forgotten" to return (just like the jacket). It was practically a dress on her, but it was incredibly warm and Nick liked seeing her in it.

He was holding one of her paws from across the table, running his thumb over it gently, and she'd been beaming up at him happily, until her ears picked up what sounded like an angry gasp.

Judy's brow had furrowed, and she'd turned to see an elderly rabbit glaring at them. And not just side-eying, or glancing, or frowning, but full-on glaring, like the sight of Judy was the most despicable thing she'd ever seen. The elderly doe was seated on a stool at the counter, ears snapped flat against her back. When she saw Judy make eye contact with her, her gaze withered even further and she held her purse close to her chest.

Judy was completely taken aback. Most people liked her. _Everyone_ liked her! And yet, this stranger looked as if she hated her, even though Judy wasn't even doing anything wrong! All she was doing was sitting here, enjoying a drink just like everyone else, holding Nick's paw—

Her gaze flitted down to their intertwined paws, and she glanced back up at the elderly bunny.

 _Oh._

The other bunny shook her head and looked away from them, muttering in disgust.

Judy felt her nose start to twitch as her own eyes narrowed. It was Judy _and_ Nick that the elderly bunny found despicable. The two of them, together. She was judging them! She didn't even know them!

Judy's eyes narrowed further, and even though she wasn't aware of it, her foot had started thumping furiously.

It wasn't fair, or right, for she and Nick to be judged like this. _She had to do something._

"Hey!" Judy snapped, standing up from their table and approaching the other bunny. "What is your pro—"

She was cut off by a paw smacking over her mouth, and another snaking around her waist.

"So sorry about that, m'am," Nick laughed nervously, raising his voice to be heard over Judy's muffled squeaking and protesting. "We were just leaving, weren't we, Judy?"

The sternness in the last note of his words, as well as the use of her full name, made Judy pause in her protesting, giving him enough time to pull her out of the cafe.

And by enough time, it was about 10 seconds. At the 11 second mark, Judy instantly started squirming and squeaking again. "Let me go, Nick!" She protested, but the fox didn't listen to her until he had pulled her several blocks away from the cafe.

"Sorry, sweetheart," he said sincerely, removing his paws from her.

"We shouldn't have left!" Judy insisted, stomping her foot for emphasis. "That lady deserved to hear a thing or two!" Her breath was coming out in angry clouds of air, and the snow fell in a slow, languid pace, so very much different from how she was feeling inside.

"You gotta learn to ignore people like that."

"But Nick, you didn't see the way she was glaring at us!"

He sighed begrudgingly. "Believe me, Carrots, I did. She was glaring at us ever since we walked in."

Her eyebrows raised. "Then why didn't you do anything?!"

"Because I know it's not worth it! You can't change people's mind about this kind of thing!"

"But we can try! It's not like we're doing anything wrong! We don't deserve that kind of treatment!"

Nick huffed and looked her over, then placed his paws on her shoulders. "Alright, Fluff, look: back in the burrows, how many interspecies couples did you ever see?"

Judy bit her lip, heart sinking as she realized the answer. "None…"

"And at school?"

"Only a couple…"

"That's my point. It's not a common thing — a lot of people see it as something wrong. It's easier at school, with a younger generation, but out here…" He didn't finish his sentence, gaze falling to the frost-bitten pavement beneath their feet.

Judy's nose twitched as she scrunched up her face in confusion. "But how could it be wrong? All we're doing is dating, we're not hurting anyone!"

"I don't know, but that's just the way the world thinks right now," Nick said bitterly, pulling away from her to fold his arms across his chest.

She scowled, foot starting to thump quickly. "That's not fair!"

"I never said it was."

Judy didn't know quite what to say to that, so she followed him as they started walking down the street in silence. Nick had his hands in his pockets, and Judy had hers together, rubbing them as she tried to keep warm. As they walked, she glanced up at the fox, studying his features, still trying to learn every last one. He was quite handsome, she decided, which was something that she'd never really thought of before, as odd as it might sound to say.

The thing with Nick was that he wasn't attractive in the same way a bunny was. The standards Judy had used throughout her entire life to measure the attractiveness of bunnies couldn't be used against Nick — she had to learn an entire new scale. This was her first time being attracted to a mammal of another species, and everything about it was new to her. Growing up, she'd always felt comfortable with her orientation, and for the first time in her life, she had to question it.

For the first time, she wasn't being the straight-a, perfect bunny everyone knew her to be. She was doing something wrong — or at least what other people saw as wrong. Was it even? All she knew was that she liked Nick, he made her incredibly happy, and that he was a very good kisser. How could that be so criminal?

All these thoughts made her head hurt, and she groaned under her breath, gaining Nick's attention.

"What?" He asked hesitantly.

Judy felt herself growing embarrassed, which was ridiculous, because this was Nick who she was talking to, Nick who she knew would never make fun of her feelings. "It's just," she said slowly, tugging on the end of one of her ears, "I've never dated anyone that wasn't a bunny."

Nick looked her over before shrugging and slouching his shoulders. "Well, I never dated anyone that wasn't a fox."

The thought was somehow relieving, knowing that in that respect, they were on a level playing field. She took a breath of crisp, cold air and continued. "I just…" She glanced at him. "I just don't know what to do about mammals judging us and I've been trying to figure it out but it's so new and scary and I never expected this kind of reaction and you might think I'm a dumb bunny and I don't want to be a bad person but I don't think we're doing anything wrong because we just love each other, well, we're dating slash seeing each other sorta seriously, officially, kind of."

Nick blinked at her, looking at her in a mixture of shock and confusion (though more so the latter). "I…uh…"

She was confusing him. This was going to get them nowhere. She reached out a cold paw to gently touch his coat sleeve. "Nick…can we sit for a moment?"

"Sure, Fluff."

They walked the streets of Tundra Town until they found a small park, different from the one they'd been at earlier today. Nick brushed some snow off a bench and helped her up.

The two sat side-by-side closely, but not so much so that they might attract more stares, because as much as they both tried to deny it, they both were suddenly, alarmingly self-conscious.

Judy spoke first, as she did most times. "So…we like each other."

"Yes," Nick answered with a brief wry smile.

"But other mammals are going to judge us if we keep liking each other."

"Yep," he answered again, lips smacking together as he enunciated the "p" with biting resentment.

"But maybe this won't be a common thing!" Judy mused hopefully, "Yes, people may judge, but this is the first time this has happened to us, and we've been dating for a good month or so now…"

"There were mammals glaring at us on our first date," Nick muttered, not looking at her.

Her heart sunk. "What?! But I didn't see any…" She tried to think back to that night, but all she could remember was how much fun she'd had with Nick. Maybe she'd just been so wrapped up in the excitement of the date, that she hadn't focused on anything else. She blinked up at him. "Why didn't you tell me?"

He laughed, but it wasn't a happy laugh — it was burdened with a negative, sarcastic emotion Judy couldn't quite place. "Because I was having fun with you, Fluff! And I didn't want to burden you, or make you feel…" He paused for a moment, struggling to find the right word. "Ashamed."

Judy leaned closer to him, burying her nose in his side. "I'm not ashamed of you, Nick," she murmured softly, "And I never will be."

He snorted dismissively. "It's not you I'm worried about — it's all those other assholes out there."

Judy felt her heart sink as she gently pulled away from him. Her eyes couldn't help but scan the park, wondering if anyone was watching them, judging them again. A nagging, nasty voice in the back of her head pestered her, asking her if she really wanted to be a part of a relationship that was so stigmatized. It'd be so much easier to settle down with some bunny, some bunny she could tell her parents about, some bunny she could publicly canoodle with without fear of judgment.

It would be simple.

The thought made her head hurt again.

Judy just wanted to rewind and freeze back to an hour earlier, when she'd been having so much fun with Nick. Before all this conflict and angst had bubbled up. She'd begged him into making snow angels with her, which he eventually agreed to after many pleading requests and a bat of her big, doey violet eyes.

As much as Judy hated that bunnies were seen as 'cute,' she did have to admit that once in a rare while it did have its perks. And by perks, she meant that she could get Nick to practically melt with just a quiver of her lip.

So they'd made snow angels together (Nick's were so much bigger she could fit two of herself in one of his), and afterwards she'd pulled him over to an ice skating rink located in the center of the park.

"C'mon, Nick! You'll love ice skating!" She'd gushed, tugging on his arm. "Back in Bunnyburrow, I use to go out on the pond every winter and skate for hours!"

The fox groaned reluctantly. "Carrots, I'm going to fall flat on my face."

"I'll catch you."

"But my _face!_ It's the moneymaker, Fluff!"

She'd drooped her ears and sniffled her little nose, and he didn't protest after that.

They'd worked together, Judy holding both of his paws while Nick slipped around, because he really was a terrible ice skater. But Judy stayed true to her word and caught him every time he slipped, which was often. Nick had been impressed by her strength, and afterwards he'd bundled her up in an embrace and kissed her between the ears, all the while muttering about what a sly bunny she was, and how he was definitely going to get her back for this.

Judy would have given anything to go back to that moment. That moment where all she'd been focused on was Nick, and having fun, and not all the biased jerks of the world. But no matter how much she wished, she knew it was futile. They were in the present, the here and now, and right now, they were sitting on a cold bench, Nick was frowning at the ground, and she felt miserable inside.

"So what do we do?" Judy mumbled. If they couldn't stop people from being prejudiced, what were they supposed to do? Break up?

Her body grew cold at the thought.

Nick turned to look at her seriously, counting off his propositions on his paw. "Well, the way I see it, we got two options. Option 1, we just end things right here and go our separate ways."

She frowned hesitantly. "And Option 2?"

He smiled gently. "Option 2, we say, 'screw it' and keep seeing each other anyway, and let the assholes be assholes."

Judy smiled up at him, and her body flooded with warm relief. "I think I like the second option more."

He smirked back, wrapping his paw around her waist and dragging her to his side. "Me too." He hesitated then, running his paw up and down her side carefully. "…It won't be easy, you know. There's a lot of jerks out there and only two of us."

Judy just hummed. "The two of us is all I need."

Nick didn't reply, and instead just gave her a gentle squeeze.

They snuggled for a long, pleasant moment before Judy stated the obvious. "I really like you, Nick," she mumbled into his side.

"I really like you too, Jude."

"And…I really gotta teach you how to skate."

He laughed and held her a little tighter. "Oh really, we're back to that?"

"Yes, we are!" She exclaimed, wrapping her paws around his neck and smiling at him. "You were terrible! Guess you really aren't so slick after all."

"Oh, c'mon, I wasn't that bad!"

"My grandma could skate better!"

Nick just smiled at her and shook his head, pausing to press their noses together lightly. The pair was silent for several moments as the laughter died down, and Judy gave him a light peck on his cheek before removing her paws from his neck and returning to snuggling at his side.

They stayed like that for awhile, keeping each other warm as the snow fell and collected on their fur. It was another moment Judy wanted to stay in forever, so she closed her eyes tight and held onto every second of it.

Then Nick spoke again.

"Hey, Fluff?"

"Yes, Nick?"

"When you were rambling back on the sidewalk over there, did you say that we loved each other?"

Her face burned red, and she covered it in her paws as Nick laughed. "Shut up!" She insisted, squeaking out from between her fingers.

"I knew you loved me," he teased, poking her in the side. "Now I have verbal confirmation."

"I don't!" Judy continued to protest, taking her paws off her blushing face and using them to punch his arm. "You're such a dumb fox!"

"It's okay, no need to hide your feelings from me, honey bunny," he simpered, practically howling with laughter as she became even more flustered.

"Shut up!"

"Make me, Fluff!"

So she did. Mid-laugh, he was yanked down by his coat collar and pressed against her. She could feel him smiling against her lips, and she giggled against his in turn, and in that moment, she didn't care of the entirety of Zootopia saw. She was happy with Nick just the way he was, maybe even in love with the way he was (not that she would give him the satisfaction of knowing that). Sure, dating a fox wouldn't be easy or simple.

But Judy Hopps had never been one to do things the easy way, anyhow.


	6. Eloquence

"As you can see, the Mammal Inclusion Initiative is a great proposal that would provide countless opportunities to our population," Judy stated, using her clicker to skip to the next slide of her PowerPoint. She glanced at the large lecture hall in front of her, heart wavering a bit at the sight of so many emotionless, unblinking faces. It's not that she was afraid of public speaking (she actually enjoyed it, probably more than she should have), she just didn't want to do a bad job. Her fellow classmates weren't giving off any feedback though, and she had to grit her teeth to not fume about the ones blatantly on their phones.

Okay, so maybe she wasn't giving the most exciting speech ever, but she had yet to get booed off the podium, so her report couldn't be _terrible_ , right?

"With this initiative, mammals that never had the guts to try to be more than they are could make a difference," Judy continued. She afforded a glance at her Social Issues professor, who was taking notes from the front row. The professor was smiling slightly, and nodding along, which Judy took to be a good thing. "They could become doctors, lawyers, teachers, or even law enforcement officers, and yet, Congress has delayed the passing of this bill. My reports suggest that—"

There was a sudden creaking sound, and Judy paused. Heads turned to the back of the room to eye the mammal that was slipping through the heavy wooden doors of the lecture hall. Wry looks were exchanged between the students, after all, class had started _20 minutes_ ago, but Judy's heart soared.

 _Nick!_

Her heart skipped a beat as she watched him slide into one of the seats near the back of the room. Their eyes met, and he gave her an encouraging thumbs up.

She hadn't expected this — especially since he'd already heard her practice this same speech a good 20 or so times. But he was here, and he was so supportive, and it took everything in Judy to not run across the lecture hall and give him the biggest, tightest, warmest hug.

Instead, she beamed, and continued her presentation with a renewed vigor. "My reports suggest that with a strong public support, we can push Congress to give the attention this initiative deserves, the same attention every mammal that wants a fair chance deserves…"

* * *

When Judy left the lecture hall, Nick was waiting for her outside in the hallway. When they saw each other, Nick's eyes lit up, and he looked at her expectantly. "Well?"

Judy grinned and hopped on the spot. "I got an 'A!'" She cheered, dashing into his arms and squealing when Nick proceeded to spin her in the air.

"I knew you could do it, Carrots!" He praised, lowering her just enough so she could wrap her paws around his neck.

"I can't believe you came to watch me give my speech!" Judy gushed, running her paws through the fur on his nape, "why didn't you tell me you were coming?"

"I wanted it to be a surprise."

"Well, I was definitely surprised." Judy smiled broader and nuzzled her head underneath his chin, taking a deep inhale of fox musk and everything else that was distinctly Nick.

"Anytime, Carrots," Nick shrugged, smiling at her through half-lidded eyes. He started to run his paw up and down her back, which caused Judy to hum softly.

"My professor said I was _eloquent_ and _poised_ ," Judy murmured with a giggle, paws still rested on his nape.

"Eloquent? Yes," Nick tilted his chin up and started giving her little bites near the base of her ears, "but I'd kinda like to get you a little messy right now, if you catch my drift."

Judy snorted, but leaned in closer to him, shivering at the light prick of his teeth. "That was a terrible pick up line — it wasn't even creative."

Nick smirked. "And yet, it still won you over."

Judy thought about denying him, about insisting that he was such a dumb fox and that he would have to try better than that to win her over.

But the words faded on her tongue, and if she was going to be honest with herself, kissing Nick sounded like an amazingly appealing idea right now.

"How much longer until your next class?" Judy whispered, using her small claws to part paths in the fur of Nick's nape.

"I'm done for the day," Nick whispered in turn, sending another shiver down Judy's back.

She leaned into him, a mischievous glint in her eye. "There's a broom closet over right over there."

Nick spotted it, then bundled her into his arms and made a beeline towards it. "The perfect place for us to get it on undetected," he said teasingly, "provided that you don't moan as loudly as you always do."

Judy punched his arm and gave him a scowl she only half-meant. "You're so crude!"

"You love it," Nick insisted, opening the closet door and slipping them inside.

"Do I?" Judy began, "No, no I d—"

But then Nick crushed his muzzle against hers, kissed Judy until she felt like she was seeing stars, and all words were lost thereafter.


End file.
